June 8, 2015: 13th Anniversary of the Hayman Fire

I can't believe it's been that long. We were finishing construction on our home in Kings Valley and trying to close that month when the fire started and insurance companies decided to refuse insuring the entire zip code so we had to wait until the rescinded that order. We'd drive up to our empty home almost daily and watch the fire to see if it was going to make it our way or not.

I knew it was big, and one of the worst we've ever had, but it wasn't until I was working with my fellow Friends of Elk Creek Fire to help get the ECFPD Mill Levy passed that I learned that during one of the days it burned, had it started at the southern end of the area known as Conifer that it would've burned all of Conifer in the following 24 hours - that's how fast it was moving and how big it got in that time frame. That was a sobering reminder that we needed our local volunteer firefighters to have the best equipment, training, and facilities that we could help get them if they were going to be putting themselves in harms way for us.

To everyone who has ever suffered a loss from fire, my heart goes out to you. I've seen the lingering effects in my friends who are survivors, and I know that despite the recent rains, our 100-year and 1000-year fuels are still very dry within and in need of a great deal more moisture before we can relax our guard even a little.

CUSP has done a great job mitigating the burn scar over the years, and more projects are scheduled for this year. Check our Community Calendar or CUSP's website for days/projects for which you can volunteer!

Hayman Fire by the Coalition for the Upper South Platte

In early June 2002, historical fire suppression, drought conditions, continuous, dry fuels along the South Platte River corridor, human carelessness, and a dry, windy weather system combined to create the perfect conditions for fire. The Hayman Fire was first reported just south of Tarryall Creek and Highway 77 near Tappan Mountain in the late afternoon of June 8, 2002. Low humidity, warm temperatures, and high wind speeds facilitated the fire’s hot temperatures and rapid spread along the South Platte River corridor. For 20 days, the fire consumed public and private lands southwest of Denver in parts of Park, Teller, Jefferson, and Douglas Counties. Learn more about the fire in the U.S. Forest Service’s Hayman Fire Case Study .

Yes, there are certainly conditions during which it is impossible to stop a wildfire. However, in my opinion at least, that doesn't mean that our volunteer firefighters don't deserve our support, especially when to have withheld it meant that stations would've closed, equipment would've been sold off, our fire rating would've been downgraded, and our area less well protected.

Despite this rain, the education piece continues to get homeowners to mitigate because you are correct, it does little good to spend time and effort taking care of your land when neighbors do not. We are about to embark on a year-long Fire Adapted Community Plan revision that hopefully will be embraced and implemented by neighborhoods throughout the area once completed. If anyone is interested in participating with the group, please contact Chief McLaughlin at Elk Creek Fire.

HC, we were on Baca Rd. Loved our house and the view, had great neighbors! Sometimes I wonder at the timing of things happening in life and how life would be now if I'd left my research career sooner and bought this business before we moved. It's fun to fantasize at times, but I think it turned out as it should've - definitely can't complain!